From Techstars To Construction Tech: Why 80% Of Her Startup Decks Started With AI

"80% of the decks landing on her desk had AI on slide one."This week on Bricks & Bytes we sat down with Jennifer Davis, who recently joined Suffolk Technologies after five years as Managing Director of Techstars Boston, where she reviewed thousands of applications and ran 65+ companies through the program.She brought the kind of pattern recognition you only get from saying no a few thousand times.Tune in to find out about:✅ Why the bar has risen across pre-seed, seed, and Series A — and what VCs now want to see before they write a check✅ The co-founder mistake that kills more startups than bad ideas (and why 50/50 equity splits are a red flag)✅ Why "not all money is created equally" — and how founder-unfriendly terms signed early can derail an exit years later✅ What Jennifer is looking for as she takes the reins on Suffolk's Boost accelerator, and the founder profile she'd most want to back in 2027Listen on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube 🎧#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #ai #vcOur Sponsors:BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.coAphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.coArchdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.comChapters00:00 Intro01:00 Introduction to Jennifer Davis and Transition to Suffolk Tech04:09 Insights from Techstars Boston07:01 Key Traits of Successful Founders10:06 Challenges in the Startup Ecosystem12:57 The Importance of Problem-Solution Fit15:57 The Role of AI in Startups18:51 Generalist vs. Vertical VCs21:57 Navigating the Built World Space25:08 The Future of Construction Technology27:53 Suffolk Tech's Boost Program31:03 Advice for Founders in the Current Landscape33:54 Conclusion and Future Outlook